I do not own Golden Sun. It belongs to Camelot, Nintendo, and its other respective owners. This story focuses on a gay pairing and includes minor straight pairings, so don't read if you don't want to. It's also rated M because of some later chapters I have in mind, so don't read if you're not supposed to.

~o~o~o~

The Hesitation

"Wake up, Isaac."

Isaac awoke to the very same voice that filled his dreams, and at first, he thought he had simply woken into another dream.

"Isaac, wake up," the angelic voice called to him yet again. He rolled over and realized that he was alone and in his bedroll. He groaned, wishing strongly that he could remain in the soft, warm bed he had just left behind in his dreams, where he had been very much not alone.

"Isaac, come on."

Groaning again, Isaac sat up and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. Still shaking off sleep, Isaac looked up at Ivan in the flickering light of their fire. He was crouching nearby so he wouldn't disturb Garet.

"Morning," Ivan said sarcastically as he stood up. But Isaac detected something else within that single word and Ivan's expression. What it was, he couldn't tell. Affection? Wistfulness? Longing? He had no idea. Perhaps it was his dreams seeping into his reality, making him hear what wasn't there.

Giving no hint at the confused emotions Ivan's greeting had invoked, Isaac asked "Is it already my turn?"

"Yes," Ivan stated simply, and again Isaac heard a trace of unknown emotion in the other adept's voice. Ivan then seemed to hesitate. He looked as if he was now forced to make a decision that he had contemplated, but hadn't yet decided upon.

Then the moment passed. Without further comment, the wind adept turned away from the Isaac, strode quickly to his side of the clearing, laid down in his bedroll, and rolled away from the firelight to sleep, leaving Isaac confused with what had passed between the two.

With nothing else to think about, Isaac brooded about the exchange as the night moved silently on around him.

~o~

The fresh rays of dawn pierced the clearing as Isaac woke again, this time to Garet's voice.

Isaac groaned yet again as he felt the taste fade from his lips, the touch fade from his fingers, the warmth fade from his limbs, as reality reasserted itself over what had consumed him since he had passed on the watch to Garet.

This cannot be healthy, he thought. Thoughts of him shouldn't dominate me night and day. Especially these kinds of thoughts. Although another part of him loved it and wanted it to be real more than words could ever express.

Pushing away the confused thoughts and alluring dreams of the night before, he joined the other two in eating breakfast. After a few small attempts at making conversation, the group fell into silence. Isaac knew Garet wasn't much of a conversationalist when he was eating, but he couldn't fathom the reason why Ivan was so quiet, as he hadn't been this quiet either the day before or in Vault.

Again, Isaac wondered if there was something going on with Ivan. While he still wasn't sure of what he had seen the night before, he was sure that he hadn't imagined whatever it was. He studied Ivan closely, trying to see if there was any indication of what had happened recently.

Ivan was eating absently, staring off into the distance. He looked extremely pensive, as if he was contemplating a difficult decision or trying to figure out the solution to an extremely complex problem. Or perhaps both.

When breakfast was finished, the three packed up and set off at a brisk pace in order to reach Bilibin before nightfall. Garet made a few attempts at conversation now that they were on the move, but both Isaac and Ivan were deep in their own thoughts, barely responding. He quickly changed his focus to getting to know the Djinni he had met while getting through Goma Cave.

And in this manner, they continued their journey.

~o~

"That's an odd-looking tree," Garet commented as the three adepts walked through the wooden wall that surrounded Bilibin.

The quick journey down from the foothills of the Goma Range had been uneventful, but had taken most of the day. As such, they were all tired, but content with the progress they had made. Ivan had decided that he needed more time to figure out exactly how to approach Isaac about what he now knew to be their mutual feelings. If they weren't both guys, it would be easy, but that added a level of complication that Ivan wanted to be sure that he'd taken into consideration.

"Let's split up for now and see if we can find out anything about Saturos and his group," Isaac said. "I'll restock our supplies at the local herb store and check out the weapons and armor shop, too. Garet, you take the western side of town; Ivan, take the eastern side. We'll meet at the inn at the end of today and check out the palace together tomorrow."

Ivan hid a smile, only nodding before turning onto his own path leading further into the town. He loved the way Isaac took charge of things without becoming overbearing. He made an excellent leader, and Ivan found it to be a very attractive part of Isaac's personality. Now if only he could figure out how to approach the matter. In particular, he wanted to bring it up in a private manner, as few in Weyard were gay, and not many more were very accepting of it.

He walked along the houses, mostly just trying to get a feel for the basic attitude of its residents. He hadn't met Saturos or his party while in Vault, but those who had remembered the event quite vividly. He was passively searching for something similar while he continued his thinking about his dilemma.

Most didn't know it, but a Jupiter Adept's mind reading abilities weren't something activated the same way normal Psynergy was. It was pretty much always active, feeding Ivan the vague feelings around him. He could focus the Psynergy on one person to fully read their mind, effectively casting it like other Psynergy, but there were different degrees to his ability to mind read. It was also possible to completely ignore the minds of those around him, which was what he had done for Isaac and Garet out of respect for their wishes. It wasn't a hard thing to just detect the surface emotions and strong memories or thoughts of those around him, even while thinking hard about something entirely different.

And it's not just a problem of secrecy, he thought. Garet obviously needs to know if we're going to continue to travel with him, so there is his reaction to consider. Plus, I don't really know how secure Isaac is in this. I have heard of people who had these feelings, yet didn't want them. Unfortunately, what his dream was like is poor indication of that. I wish I could find out more about how Isaac feels about this… Man, this stuff is so much more complicated than I ever thought it was.

He stopped, trying to figure out what was going on in the minds of the people around him. He hadn't detected anything that would have indicated Saturos' group, but everyone in town seemed to be worried about something. What was strange was that it seemed to be the same thing, though in varying degrees. He focused more on some of the individual minds around him, actively pushing the Psynergy to show him more details. What he found surprised him.

He quickly reaffirmed what he thought he had heard, exploring more of the town in the process. Just as the sun was about to reach the horizon, he turned to head for the inn.

~o~

"So you're sure they headed north?" Isaac asked.

"Yes, they bought supplies similar to what you have, stayed the night, and set off north early in the morning," the innkeeper answered. "We warned them that the cave going through the mountains to Imil is still likely blocked by snow, but they didn't seem concerned. They probably won't be able to get through until the week is out."

"Thanks. You've helped me a lot," Isaac responded. Then, sliding some coins on the table, he said, "Could I please get three rooms for the night then?"

Eyes brightening at the sight of the gold, the innkeeper checked an open book on the counter, then nodded. "There are three rooms upstairs that you may use."

"Thanks, and keep the change for your troubles," Isaac said. The innkeeper gave him a smile, handed the adept three keys, and went back to the bookwork he had been doing when Isaac had first walked up.

After a quick trip upstairs to put away his pack and the supplies he had bought, Isaac settled down in a quiet corner of the inn to wait for the other three.

He thought of Ivan yet again. It had become harder and harder to focus on anything else for long, but he had managed to take care of what he needed throughout the day despite this. He just hoped it didn't get any worse.

A woman wearing an apron walked up, carrying a small pad of paper "Would you like anything to drink or eat, sir?" she asked, giving him a suggestive smile.

"Nothing for now, thanks," Isaac answered, returning her smile. "But when my two companions join me, I'm sure we'll order dinner."

"Very well then," she said, giving him a wink before returning to her work with the other tables.

Isaac watched her go, quickly tearing her eyes off her comely frame before someone noticed his gaze.

Now this is probably the most confusing part about this. I've never felt this way towards another man before. I've had a couple of times where I've considered the possibility, but I've never had feelings for another man. Isaac sighed. And now that I have, I still notice a beautiful woman's charm, although it doesn't seem quite so intoxicating when compared to Ivan's presence…

Homosexuality wasn't something forbidden or even really looked down on in Vale. But it wasn't really common, either. It wasn't really assumed that you were straight, so he knew everyone at some point had considered it, most even going so far as to actively experiment. Isaac had gone through the same, but hadn't ever really felt those kinds of feelings except towards a girl or two. That is, until he met Ivan.

I guess it's just surprising that these feelings are rising out of nowhere with no warning. He leaned back in his chair, resting his eyes. Well, it's not really that big of a deal. I just need to figure out how to approach Ivan. I don't really know how the rest of the world views this kind of relationship, so I need to be careful. I also need to do my best to make sure that bringing this up doesn't hurt our journey, especially if…

Then he stopped himself, refusing to follow that line of thought. Even as he pushed it away, though, the possibility of rejection pained him.

He remained like that, his mind wandering from possibility to possibility until he heard footsteps approach. He opened his eyes to see Garet and Ivan join him at the table.

"What have you heard?" he asked, wasting no time.

~o~o~o~

Sorry about taking so long to update. I was hoping to update about every week, but I've been really busy lately. I'll try to do better in the future. Reviews are great, and also will generally lead to a quicker update. Thanks for reading.